The Mental Club
by Shadow of Midnight
Summary: AU Hospital fic. Nine children with different disorders are put together to try to solve their problems. Blind, Schizo Tala, Mute, Bipolar Bryan, Dual Personalities and Deaf Spencer, Pyro Kai, ADD Max, Depressed Rei, ADHD Mao, OCD Hiromi, ADHD Tyson
1. Chapter 1

**. I know, I know. I shouldn't be starting a new fic. But this one wouldn't leave me alone. I always wanted to write an asylum fic. I thought about doing it for Naruto but this one seemed good too. Heh, the Blitzkrieg Boys are the main characters again. Not Kai though, he's going to be the "Not so good guy" for this little ficcy. Heh. **

**Tala: Wow.**

**Me: Quiet. **

**Spencer: She does not own us, thankfully. **

**Me: THANKFULLY? **

**Spencer: (cringe)**

**Me: On with the story. **

"Come on, Rei." The man urged. "It won't be so bad." The boy only shook his head and stared mournfully at the ground.

"It can't get much worse." He whispered softly, still staring at the floor. "It can't be worse then what's already happened." He looked around the room, shyly. A white, almost clinical room met his eyes. A few pictures apparently drawn by children were framed on the wall. Crudely illustrated smiling faces seemed to mock the boy's unhappiness.

"It's so cold." He whispered again. "Where's it's soul?" He shivered softly at his own gloomy words. Rei's father walked up to the front desk.

"This is my son, Rei Kon." He told the clerk.

"Inpatient, correct?" She asked professionally. The man nodded.

"Yes." She pushed a paper over the desk.

"Sign here."

-

"HERE I COME!" A boy yelled, jumping out of his grandfather's car and running up to the building. "HECK YEAH!" His grandfather only shook his head.

"Calm down, homie." He suggested. "Chill, little dude." His grandson just kept grinning and bouncing around.

"I'm gonna make a bunch of friends!" He cheered.

"Just remember that you're here to help yourself get better." He reminded the enthusiastic teenager.

"Of course!" Tyson stuck his tongue out. His grandfather laughed.

"You'll do fine, little man." Tyson laughed.

"OF COURSE I WILL!" He looked around happily. "This is gonna be awesome, it's like a vacation!" His grandfather sighed.

"At least he's happy."

-

"This will help you, Max." The woman assured her son. He stared back at her. A smile broke out across his face.

"If you say so, Mom." He chirped. She smiled and hugged him tightly.

"I think it will." She said, releasing him and taking his hand. He grinned up at her, blue eyes happy.

"This place seems nice." He giggled. "It needs more orange." She shook her head playfully.

"I don't know if they agree." She told him. "Not everyone likes orange. But no one dislikes white."

"But orange makes people happy." He told her cheerily. "Isn't that what this place is for? Making people feel better?" She smiled again.

"Oh, Max." She whispered brokenly. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"It's ok, Mom." He said solemnly. "I'll get better and be out in no time at all." He grinned. "That's a promise." Her only response was to hug her child tightly to her and just hope for the best.

-

"I'm fine." The girl insisted. Her father shook his head.

"Hiromi, it's starting to be a problem. This is best for you." She rolled her eyes sarcastically, flipping her brown hair.

"Best for you, you mean." She muttered but stepped forward anyway. She glanced around inside, looking with approval at the clean, white walls.

"Someone has taste." She muttered. Her father sighed.

"Darling, you're going to have to get used to things eventually." He said kindly, hugging her close. She instinctively flicked a bit of dust off his coat. He frowned. "There are going to be people here with much more serious problems."

"Like what?" She asked, straightening the collar of her shirt as he released her. "What kinds of things?" Her father glanced around the room, eyes coming to rest on a woman with tangled hair, talking to herself.

"The woman there probably has Schizophrenia." Hiromi angled her head to the side to regard him curiously.

"What is that?" She asked innocently.

"A serious condition where people hear voices in their heads." He looked at his daughter again. "Promise me you'll be careful around people with serious problems like that." His eyes were earnest.

She nodded. "Yes, Daddy." She promised.

-

"But Daddy." The girl complained. He shushed her.

"Quiet, Mao." He scolded. Her brother nodded.

"You need it," Lee said. Mao stuck her tongue out at him.

"Please?" Her father shook his head and nudged her forward.

"Ok, ok." Mao muttered. "Since you're so glad to be rid of me." Her father's eyes filled with tears.

"Please don't say that." He begged. "This is to help you." Lee stayed quiet behind his father's shaking body.

"Yeah, Mao." He said, opening his mouth. "Think of it as camp." The girl shrugged.

"I guess." Suddenly she grinned. "This could be so much fun!" She giggled happily. Lee patted his father's back.

"See?" He told him. "Mao's going to be just fine." His father nodded, wiped his eyes and stood upright again.

"Be careful, Mao." Lee said. "At this kind of place, there are always some people with real bad issues like people who have two personalities and are really crazy, not just a little crazy like you are." His father scolded him.

"Lee. Firstly, it's called Split Personality Disorder. Secondly, I told you not to say that, and thirdly," He turned to his other child. "Do be careful."

-

"Get off me." The boy snarled to the officer holding him. The man restraining him shoved him forward harshly.

"Get in there, delinquent." The boy shook his blue-grey hair from his red eyes and snarled at the officers. He tried to cross his arms but they were cuffed.

"Why do they care so much if I light one little thing on fire?" He muttered.

"It wasn't one thing," The man retorted. "It was a public building."  
"A school." He responded. The man nodded.

"A public place." He grinned nastily. "You're lucky they didn't shove you into jail with the other convicts." Kai's eyebrow twitched.

"Why do I have to here?" He asked the sky. "It's going to be filled with loonies who are happy one moment and stab you the next." The officer shrugged.

"To be frank, I don't care." Kai rolled his eyes and adjusted his cuffed wrists.

"How long do I stay here?" He asked tersely.

"Until they think you won't light more things on fire." Came the easy response. "It's all up to them." Kai frowned.

"Well that's no fun." He glanced at the guard. "I assume no matches, right?" The man nodded quickly.

"Not a single one." He smirked. "You might be eating with sporks if they get really concerned about you." Kai growled.

"If I'm that crazy, you're in trouble," He hissed. "Lucky you, I'm not." The officer shrugged, used to it, and pushed Kai forward into the que.

-

"Here goes." A red haired boy spoke, his eyes closed, as he and his friends arrived at the clinic. The boy by his side replied instantly. His blonde hair was cropped short and about an inch or two from his head.

"I think _he _likes it here." The pale haired boy frowned nervously, light eyes moving quickly over both of his friends.

"I thought he was leaving, Spencer." The red-head said. The other nodded. He raised on hand into the air and put the other on the central boy's hand. His hands twisted rapidly in sign language.

"I agree, Bryan." Spencer agreed. "Here, Tala," He said, taking the boy's arm and guiding him inside.

"Thanks," Tala said, turning very clearly to Spencer. He turned back to Bryan. "Figure we should go and commit ourselves?" The boy shrugged and made another set of hand gestures into the redhead's palm.

"I bet." Spencer said softly. "We're great examples." He shrugged. "Let's go." Tala nodded slowly with his eyes still closed.

He walked forward, with Bryan and Spencer each holding his hands for safety and security. Together, they stepped up to the desk.

"May I help you?" The woman asked. Tala opened his eyes suddenly to reveal pure-white, sightless orbs. She twitched slightly but kept her falsly cheerful tone and expression. "Are you patients?" Tala nodded.

"Tala Ivanov, Bryan Kutznetzov, Spencer Petrov. We're checking into a support group for 'Troubled Teens'." He told her, eyes unmoving.

"Tala, you're frightening her." Spencer said. Bryan nodded, moving his hands once more on Tala's.

"I know." The redhead said in response. The woman behind the desk looked up from her computer system.

"You boys are in Program 3. It's the third door through there." She addressed her words to the tallest of the group, Spencer who nodded.

"Thank you." Tala told her before Bryan and Spencer guided him in the direction of the door she had mentioned.

"Interesting." Spencer muttered, opening the door. "Very trusting. Wonder if they get a lot of real lunatics like us." He grinned faintly. Bryan just shook his head as his hands chastised Spencer for the comment.

"I know." Spencer said. "I couldn't resist."

"We're going to have a hard time." Tala interrupted.

"We made it this far." Spencer pointed out. "We'll make it through." Tala sighed and shrugged.

"I hope so." With that, Bryan pushed open the door to the room.

**Next time, you see the grand meeting of lunatics. By the way, did you notice that almost everyone came with their dad or other male? Tyson with his grandfather, Rei with his dad, Mao with Lee and her dad, Hiromi with her dad, Kai with the officer… **

**Oh yeah, I DO like the original names for some of the characters better. Ie, Mao instead of Mariah. I don't like the name Hillary either and Hiromi is pretty similar to the name of my favorite Manga-ka ever, Hiromu Arakawa, the woman who draws FMA. Awesome. She's amazing. (Idol) **


	2. Chapter 2

**. Chapter 2. Here we go. Be afraid. **

**Kai: I am.**

**Me: Shut up and play along.**

**Kai: No. **

**Me: Don't make me pair you with Max.**

**Kai: Feh, not too bad. **

**Me: Or Tyson. **

**Kai: Please no. **

**Tala: She doesn't own us. If so, we wouldn't have lost the World Championships in Season 1. **

**Me: Darn right. **

"This is gonna be so cool!" Tyson grinned as he walked into the room. It was empty save for a girl who was cleaning a table. She looked up and then back to the table, frantically rubbing a stain with excessive zeal. Tyson raised an eyebrow. Cleaning was not something that he did on his own accord.

She had brown eyes with an amber glow. Her brown hair was cropped short and brushed neatly. She wore a simple sweater with no logo and a short skirt which was still long enough to not shock anyone's sensibilities.

"Hello." She said. Tyson grinned.

"Hiya. You here for Support Group 3?" She nodded.

"It starts in exactly thirty-six seconds." She informed him, returning to scrubbing. He blinked. Then blinked again.

"Wow." He muttered before sitting down in one of the chairs. He glanced around the room. It was bare. A table, being cleaned by the girl, sat in the back. The chairs sat in a perfect circle in the exact center of the room. Tyson had the feeling that the girl had organized them already and the thought made him grin.

Hiromi examined the boy with a critical eye. Untidy blue hair in a short ponytail made her cringe, as did the red and blue baseball cap he was wearing. His clothes were slightly baggy and had a few tears in them. Hiromi guessed that this boy was somewhat reckless and not responsible. The thought made her sniff in disdain. She nodded to herself in satisfaction, however, when she succeeded in removing the spot from the table and moved on to another blotch.

The door opened and both inhabitants looked up at the newcomer. A blonde boy practically bounced in, looked cheerful. He shut the door behind him, less then softly and sat down next to Tyson.

"Hey." He smiled. "I'm Max!" The girl scowled as he moved the chair slightly. Max didn't seem to notice. Tyson grinned back.

"I'm Tyson!" He said with just as much enthusiasm.

Max was blonde and blue eyed and seemed to enjoy the color orange, Hiromi thought analytically. He wore a too-big jumpsuit in the color, in a particularly eye destroying shade similar to neon.

Tyson noted that the boy seemed like a nice person and was interested in being friends. He also noticed that the boy had a few freckles across his nose. He also couldn't seem to sit still, constantly moving his legs in a way similar to Tyson himself and very annoying to Hiromi, who watched with a disapproving eyes as her chairs were moved.

The door opened again to admit a happy-looking pink haired girl. She waved energetically to the three inside and waltzed across the room to the other girl.

"Hi!" She laughed. "I'm Mao!" The other girl reached out and straightened the collar of Mao's pink sweatshirt. Mao wore pants in the same shade of pink and her hair was pulled up in a ponytail. Hiromi figured that it was about mid-back length if it was untied from it's constraints. The two boys noticed that Mao was just as energetic and restless as they were and grinned at the idea.

"Hiromi." She answered with slightly less cheer. Mao smiled even more.

"Nice to meet'cha." Hiromi frowned.

"To meet you." She corrected as the door opened yet again.

Rei glanced inside shyly at the four teens. Reflexively, he twisted the end of his long ponytail with one hand while the other remained on the door.

"Group Three?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yep!" Tyson yelled happily. Rei cringed.

"Ok." Quietly, he shut the door and stepped inside. His eyes flickered from person to person without resting on any one in particular. Hiromi inspected him with approval. His clothes, plain and in black, matched and were symmetrical. His hair, although long, was neatly tied back into a ponytail with a long strip of linen wrapped around it.

"Welcome to the room!" Mao announced, bouncing over with a spring, or springs, in her steps. She skidded to a halt before the nervous boy.

"I'm Mao!" She told him.

"Rei." He said quietly. She shook his hand happily.

"Kindly move." A voice said behind Rei who accordingly moved to admit a cold-looking teenager with red eyes.

"Hi!" Mao giggled, to be met with an irritable and stony gaze as the boy went to sit down as far from the others as he possibly could.

"Wow." Tyson muttered, looking at the new arrival. "What's with him?" Max shrugged and studied the new kid.

He wore a tight black top and dark pants. He had blue-grey hair falling into crimson eyes. Blue tattoos on both cheeks only served to make him more threatening. All together, he looked like someone who liked to be alone.

"He's something." Rei commented, sitting down. He noted the boy was angry and unhappy as well as just sullen and wondered why. It certainly contrasted with the cheerful personalities of the other teens inside.

There were a few moments of tense silence, broken only by Mao fidgeting. Hiromi had even stopped cleaning the tables.

The door opened yet again, albeit with much less noise and three older teens entered the room. The central teen was red-haired and had his eyes shut. He wore a white shirt and white pants which only served to make him look paler.

On his right stood a tall boy with pale hair and equally pale eyes and skin. On of his hands held that of the central boy and he watched the room suspiciously and with a lot on tension. All his clothes were a dark grey.

The third teen was easily the most threatening looking. Taller then the other two and muscular, with close-cropped blonde hair, he glanced around at all the inhabitants of the room before deciding none of them were worth his while. His hand also held that of the boy with his eyes closed. He wore dark blue and a bit of green.

"Is this Group Three?" The redhead asked, with a slight Russian accent and without opening his eyes.

"Yeah." Hiromi replied. She took a seat. All of the patients still standing seated themselves as a doctor entered, brushing off her white lab-coat.

She took a seat in between Tyson and a few empty spaces. Next to Tyson was Max, then Rei, then Hiromi, then Mao, then Kai, then the three newest additions to the group before the empty spaces.

"My name is Dr. Sanders." She announced, brushing dark hair out of her face. "Welcome to Group Three." Mao cheered. Tyson laughed. Max giggled and the others were silent. The doctor smiled. "I'm glad to see you're happy." She said, sounding cheerful. "Does anyone know the purpose of this group?" Max's hand raised.

"To help us get better?" He offered. She nodded.

"Exactly. We're going to go around so that we can learn about each other. Say your name, why you're hear and two things about yourself." She smiled. "I'll start. My name is Dr. Mara Sanders, I am here because I want to help people and I like the color blue. I also like the beach." She pointed to Tyson, "You're next."

**Next you get to meet the characters. Really meet them. Have fun. If you dare. (And review Rising while you're at it. It has no reviews…)**


	3. Chapter 3

**. Chappie number three. This chapter was written while listening to music namely a few songs from Breaking Benjamin's album, Phobia and also to Poets of the Fall's song Psychosis. It's a good song really. **

**Kai: Lunatic. **

**Me: Hey, I'm not the one who light a school on fire.**

**Kai: You've wanted to. **

**Me: Silence or I'll make you marry Tyson in a public ceremony in a pink dress. And I'll make you uke. **

**Kai: Shutting up now. **

**Ian: Hey! Where am I? **

**Me: I-Ian… Hi?**

**Bryan: She doesn't own Beyblade or Tyson wouldn't have made it past the first tournament. **

**Tyson: Hey!**

Tyson opened his mouth happily and launched into his autobiography with relish. "I'm Tyson and I've got ADHD!" Kai snorted sarcastically. His crimson eyes were cold and mocking as he glared at the cheerful boy as if taking Tyson's happiness as a personal affront. Hiromi shook her head in dislike.

"I noticed." Dr. Sanders frowned at him. He shrugged. "It's true." He muttered in annoyance to the doctor. She shook her head, he only smirked and ignored her. She turned back to Tyson and encouraged him to continue. Her light green eyes twinkled brightly behind simplistic glass frames.

"Go on, Tyson." She smiled.

"I like dragons and the color blue!" He finished, not fazed by Kai's interruption. "I'm looking forward to making friends." He grinned at Max, the next person. The blonde smiled back and opened his mouth.

"I'm Max, I've got ADD and I like orange," Again Kai snorted, "And turtles!" Kai scowled at the bubbly blonde who seemed completely ignorant of the evil look that the grey-blue haired boy was giving him.

"Your turn." Dr. Sanders told Rei, who was still playing with the end of his ponytail nervously. His eyes widened in surprise but he opened his mouth willingly and told the group about himself without embarrassment.

"My name is Rei and I've got depression." Hiromi glanced at the boy again and wasn't surprised. Rei had a thin face and a thin figure. He was nervous and shy but still seemed kind of friendly. Hiromi thought to herself that she could quite possibly be friends with the quiet boy. He sounded nice enough, unlike Kai.

Mao smiled at Rei in an encouraging way. Tyson and Max grinned cheerily at the depressed teen.

"And tell us two things about yourself?" Dr. Sanders asked kindly.

"I like tigers and the outdoors." Rei told them, smiling shyly.

"Thank you, Rei." She turned to the girl. "And you?" Hiromi smiled and fixed her chair so that it was straight.

"My name is Hiromi and I have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder." Tyson nodded sagely while tapping his foot in an annoying way. "I like the color white and cleaning." Kai snorted softly yet again. Everyone ignored him.

"And you?" the Doctor asked the next girl who seemed to be electrified with glee.

"My name's Mao!" She announced happily. "I've got ADHD too!" She grinned at Tyson who grinned back. "I like pink and cats!"

"Big surprise," the sarcastic teen muttered, glaring at Mao's extremely pink hair, shirt, sweater and pants.

Mao just laughed. "Deal with it." She laughed. "And it's your turn." Kai turned his glare to her face.

"Kai. Anti-social and pyro. Fire and being alone." He muttered angrily.

"Figures." Mao giggled. Kai rolled his eyes again.

"What's Pyro?" Tyson asked Dr. Sanders.

"Pyro is short for Pyromania, which is an obsession with fire." Dr. Sanders told him, frowning slightly.

"Ohhhhh…" Tyson said.

"The light dawns." Tyson just shrugged at the red-eyed Pyromaniac. All eyes shifted to the next person, the pale haired boy. He blinked and looked at the floor.

"What about you?" The woman prodded gently. The boy met her eyes squarely before gazing at his friend. The red-head opened his mouth.

"Bryan can't talk." He told them. The pale boy, Bryan nodded. His hands moved into more sign language. "He wants me to tell you what he says." He kept his eyes closed as Bryan's hand moved in his. "He says 'My name is Bryan, I'm mute and I have Bipolar Disorder. What you should know about me is that I've known Tala and Spencer since I was a kid and although I'm mute, I'm not stupid.'" Bryan nodded at the words.

Mao was quiet. She couldn't imagine not being able to talk, she was one of those people who loved conversation.

Hiromi nodded sympathetically. Tyson and Max shook their heads.

"Wow." Tyson said quietly, "That sucks." Bryan snorted noiselessly and formed more hand gestures.

"He says 'No kidding'." Tala told them.

"Thank you, Bryan." She smiled. "And you?" Nothing happened. The middle teen still had his eyes closed.

"She means you." The third boy said, tapping his friend. The boy in question nodded, shrugged and kept his eyes shut.

"My name is Tala. I'm here because I have Schizophrenia." Hiromi paused as she heard the name of the disorder her father had warned her about. Mentally, she warned herself to keep a healthy distance from this boy. She remembered the woman from the hallway in her mind's eye and cringed. Mao, next to her, cocked her head curiously. Hiromi shook her head in response, not wanting to explain.

Tala continued, unbothered by Hiromi's tension. "The reason I have my eyes closed is because I'm blind. Bryan, Spencer and I met in an orphanage that didn't like us for our disabilities." His closed eyes swept the group. Hiromi shivered imperceptibly. "And I may be blind, but I'm not helpless." His concealed eyes raked the group from behind closed lids again.

"Do all of you have conditions like that?" Tyson asked tactlessly. All three turned slowly in his direction.

"Yes." Tala answered simply. Tyson gulped and regretted opening his mouth in the first place. He scratched the back of his head.

"It's your turn." The doctor told the third teen, breaking the silence again. Tala nudged the third boy who nodded.

"My name is Spencer." He said simply. "I've got Split Personality Disorder." Mao shivered like Hiromi did at the mention of Schizophrenia. Her brother and father had told her to watch out for people with that condition. She eyed the blonde. He did look kind of threatening after all. She resolved to be cautious around him.

"I'm also deaf." Spencer continued, his eyes locked on the nervous girl's. She shivered again and he looked elsewhere, stung. "There is someone we have sworn to get revenge for." Mao shuddered at the dark words, "And I still know what's going on, even though I can't hear you." He said cryptically.

"That's everyone." Dr. Sanders announced happily. "Now that we all got to know each other, we're going to split up into rooms. The first room is Mao and Hiromi." Both girls smiled at each other and at the doctor. "The second room is Tyson and Max." Both energetic boys high-fived and grinned. "The third room is Rei and Kai." Both nodded.

"Tough luck." Tyson whispered to Rei who shrugged.

"He can't be bad." Rei replied optimistically.

"The last room is Tala, Spencer and Bryan." She said, not paying attention to the side conversation. Her face turned serious, "Everyone who takes medication, it is in your room, marked with your name. Don't touch anyone else's medication." She smiled. "I'll be right next to Mao and Hiromi."

"Alright!" Tyson cheered, bounding up. "This is going to be awesome!"

"Are you sure you will be alright?" Dr. Sanders asked the blind teenager as he left the room, still holding his friends' hands.

Hiromi, a little behind the others to straighten the chairs thought she saw a flicker of annoyance on his face.

"I'm not helpless." Tala reminded her. "And anyway," He took a step toward the door and smiled harshly. "I'm not alone." And he left the room, flanked by his two friends.

**Did you like it? I know Kai's a jerk but it helps the story. Oh yeah, I've got some questions. **

**Number 1: Should there be pairings and if so which?**

**Number 2: Where is Ian? I thought about him being dead but I'm not sure. **

**~Review~**


	4. Chapter 4

**. I know, I know, it's been a long time since I've last written. In that time, my pen name has changed and maybe changed back since my friend is aware of my pen name. **

**I don't own anything. And Zoe, if you happen to be reading this, GO AWAY.**

Tala stepped silently out of the room, seething. He hated being treated like some sort of hopeless weakling solely because he was blind. He had been born that way, he'd learned to cope with it. Bryan squeezed his hand understandingly, before signing to him quickly. Tala smiled.

"Thanks, Bry." The mute teen grinned, pale face more relaxed than its usual, harsh expression.

"Yeah, we're together." Spencer agreed. "Even if Alex and Ian aren't." Rage twisted Tala's face and his grip on their hands tightened. There was silence between them as they walked down the hall to their new room.

"Here it is." Spencer was quiet as he pushed open the door. The door opened without a sound as it swung inward on its hinges. Bryan glanced inside before guiding Tala into the room.

"What is it like?" Tala asked, angling his body as if he were looking around the room. It would have almost been convincing except for his closed eyes.

"There are two bedrooms to the right and a bathroom to the left." Spencer told him. "The floor is carpeted and the walls are bare. There are no sharp edges anywhere." Bryan released Tala's hand to walk over to a small table with a set of paper bags on it. Tala's head turned, tracing his movements by ear. Bryan lifted one bag, peered inside of it and set it back down. His steps took him back to Tala, where he once more took his friend's hand and signed.

"Medication," Tala nodded. "Good." He smiled faintly at his friends. "We _are_ going to make it through this. We _are_ going to get better." His hands moved, using sign language. The other two nodded and signed back in agreement.

"Hey guys!" Tala whirled round, body tense as a coiled spring, Spencer and Bryan milliseconds behind him. Tyson stood in the doorway, grinning with Max next to him with a similar smile on his face.

"Tyson." Tala's voice was level.

"We're going to find the group room that Mao asked Dr. Sanders about! Wanna come?" Tyson asked cheerily. Tala frowned.

"How many is 'we'?" He asked, suspicion and faint amusement in his tone. Tyson shrugged.

"Max, Mao, and I for certain. Hiromi and Rei might come if Mao can talk them into it." He paused. "We haven't invited Kai yet but I don't know if he'll come with us or not, he doesn't like us much…" He trailed off.

Spencer snorted. "I very much doubt that he cares for anyone at this stage in his life." He said quietly. Tala nodded.

"Mental illness is not an easy thing to bear especially when there's a stigma attached to it." He said. Tyson frowned, confused.

"Stigma?" He asked as Max nodded.

"What's a stigma?" The blonde asked, eliciting no reaction from Tala, who had been warned of his presence.

"Stigma is the shame or disgrace associated with something considered unacceptable by society. Mental illness would be one example, though modern society looks with more favor on those with 'positive' conditions like yours rather than negative conditions." Tala told him with out emotion. "Conditions which can hurt others, such as pyromania, Schizophrenia, Bipolar, MPD and others would be considered negative since they are more destructive."

"What's MPD stand for?" Tyson enquired curiously.

"My diagnosis." Spencer said flatly. "Characterized by two or more different personalities any of which is capable of being in control." Tyson grimaced.

"Sounds nasty." Spencer shook his head.

"You have no idea." He told him.

"How bad is Schizophrenia?" Max asked aimlessly, his feet tapping against the floor. Tala stiffened slightly.

"How do you define bad?" he asked. "It is considered to be the most disruptive and severe mental illness but it depends on the severity of the case." He shrugged, eyes tightly shut.

Tyson whistled. "That sucks." He shook himself slightly. "So, you guys coming to look around?"

Tala laughed quietly. "I think you should ask Kai. He may seen cold but I'm sure he would appreciate the invitation."

Tyson shrugged. "I guess so." He turned to walk away in the direction of Kai and Rei's room. Max grinned and gestured for the them to follow him.

"We think it must be this way," He explained, "but we have no idea what it looks like."

**Review**


	5. Chapter 5

**. Sorry, I know it's been FOREVER. But my Internet was down today so I figured I should just write a chappie. **

**I own nothing, besides my new kitty, who is a GORGEOUS Calico long hair. **

Max wandered through the hallway, poking his head into doorways and searching for the promised game room. So far he hadn't found the room but that didn't discourage him from looking. He was followed by the three other boys, notably less enthusiastic about the room but still checking doorways. Tala, in between the other two, didn't bother to turn his head even for the sake of acting like other people as he sometimes did. He was already in a mental hospital, he reflected, no need to pretend normalcy. Neither Spencer nor Bryan paid any attention to Tala's more natural behaviors. They both knew, since it had been them who taught him to act like normal people, that since Tala had been born blind, what seemed like natural behaviors to someone with sight or who had ever had sight, were silly and pointless to Tala. They also knew that Tala had keener senses than most people with sight.

"Kai!" Max said, a little startled, as he bumped into the pyromanic who had been standing in the shadows. "Tyson was looking for you." Kai scoffed at Tyson's name but said nothing. Bryan made a serious of quick signs to Tala who nodded and signed back before opening his mouth. He still did not bother to turn his head in Kai's direction.

"Max wanted you to help look for some game room that the doctor mentioned." Tala said, voice still fairly quiet.

Kai raised an eyebrow and shrugged. Spencer began signing to Tala. "It would do you some good to talk to others, you know, not just shrug at them." Tala said. Both Kai and Max were startled for a moment although Kai hid his surprise better. "No need to look so startled," Tala continued, enjoying the new game, "Haven't you heard of sign language?" He held up the hand that Spencer had been signing into. Max nodded, relieved.

"I thought for a moment you read minds or something…" he admitted sheepishly. Tala shrugged and shook his head.

"No, just blind and Schizophrenic, not a mind reader." There was silence. "So, Kai?" The slate haired teen shrugged again.

"Why bother associating with this rabble?" His dismissive gesture encompassed both Max and Tyson who was now coming down the hall.

"Kai!" Tyson shouted, "There you are!" He sped up to reach them. Rei and Mao trailed behind him, and moments late, Hiromi too came forward. Each of the girl's steps were very even and she walked directly down the middle of the hall. Spencer sighed softly as he watched her.

"What?" Kai sneered as Tyson approached.

"We found the game room!" He announced proudly, gesturing up the hall. "It's near Mao and Hiromi's room!" Bryan scanned the group, quietly noticing that Max's feet were tapping and that Rei looked nervous and tense.

"Let's go." Tala said, trying to prevent Kai and Tyson from potentially confronting each other. Max nodded cheerily and grabbed Tyson's hand. Hiromi made a neat, 180 degree turn on her heel and began to walk back. Kai stayed near the edge of the hallway, not wanting to touch any of them, even by chance, Bryan speculated as he watched him. Tala agreed with the signed message that his friend had conveyed.

The game room which had been searched for by all the group, turned out to be a room about the same size as the bedrooms but with a few old fashioned arcade games. There was a game of PacMan and a few others, but all, as Kai observed in annoyance, completely nonviolent. Tala made his way to the low couch in the back, video games had no appeal to him. Kai, who had been watching him, noticed that for a blind person, Tala's navigation was remarkably good, There was a slight shuffle in the way that he moved and he had one arm slightly extended to avoid running into things but his motions were quick and sure. Both Bryan and Spencer moved to look at the small collection of books, Bryan noting with a slight frown that almost all of the books were about living with mental illness.

Tyson had made a beeline for the PacMan with Max behind him and babbling excitedly about the game. Hilary straightened her skirt and sat down on a chair with a book that had been sitting nearby. It's name, as Kai observed with humor, was _Relinquishing Control_. Mao was cheering Rei on in one of the other games, the depressive was doing surprisingly well at it, his face was screwed up in concentration and he seemed happy enough. Kai was lurking, leaning against a wall with a slight scowl and watching them all with an air of cynical dislike.

Bryan pulled a book out of the shelf and handed it to Spencer who glanced at the back before nodding and signing back to Bryan. He carried the book, which had a battered blue cover, over to the couch where Tala sat. Both sat down in their habitual positions on either side of their blind friend and Spencer began to read in a soft, low voice. Tala, in adherence to what his friends taught him, kept his head angled toward Spencer. Kai couldn't hear the words, Tyson was loudly declaring that he would beat the game next time, but Spencer did have a slight but noticeably odd way of talking. There was a slight slur to his words and the pauses in between were timed at odd intervals. Kai assumed it was a deaf thing.

Dr. Sanders entered the room, pausing at the doorway to examine them all. She looked with favor at Mao whose encouragement had Rei blushing with pride but frowned a little to see Kai standing alone.

"Its time for dinner." She called to the group. "I'll show you the dining hall." She looked approvingly at Hiromi who brought the book she had been reading with her as she came to the doorway.

"May I bring this to my room?" She asked politely. Dr. Sanders nodded.

"Of course." Rei pulled himself away from the game and he and Mao came over also. Spencer put a faded bookmark into the book he had been reading aloud and all three stood up. Kai came out from his corner too but remained a distance away. It was another few minutes before Tyson and Max finished up the game, it was Max's turn, and came bounding over.

"Food?" Tyson asked, as his stomach rumbled. The doctor smiled and nodded. She led them down the white corridor, past Tala, Bryan and Spencer's room, and into a small dining hall. The walls were, predictably, white as were the tables and chairs. Kai frowned, he was growing to hate white.

Dr. Sanders straightened and faced the group. "You can get your food from over there," she indicated a small buffet-style food table, "and you must sit with people who you do not room with." Her glance lingered on Tala and Bryan. "Tala and Bryan may sit together."

Tyson groaned a little. "Why do they get special treatment?" He asked, a slight whine in his tone and a glance at Kai, who he very much did not want to sit near.

Tala laughed. "You don't want me to trip over something while I'm carrying food, do you?" He asked. "And you want Bryan to be able to talk to you lot?" Tyson, suddenly remembering why they got special treatment, nodded, blushing a little.

**Review. I might write more soon, I might be too crushed by my classes. **


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